


Weak Link

by DestinyCale



Category: National Treasure Series
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Canon Compliant, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-03
Updated: 2016-04-28
Packaged: 2018-02-15 23:05:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2246685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DestinyCale/pseuds/DestinyCale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a race to reach the treasure first, Riley strives to prove that he is an equal and valuable member of the team.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This is my very first fanfiction! I hope you enjoy reading it and feel free to leave comments and reviews. Constructive criticism is always welcome!
> 
> Disclaimer: I love National Treasure, but sadly I don't own it. All of the characters are owned by Disney, and all credit goes to Jon Turteltaub, Jerry Bruckheimer, etc.

His fingers flew effortlessly across the keyboard, the glow of his laptop illuminating the small, cramped space. The quiet was only broken by the steady tapping of his foot as Green Day blasted in his ears. He was in his own world. Sure, infiltrating mainframes and hacking security systems proved to be commonplace to him now, but with it always came a thrill, a sense of adventure.

His name was Riley Poole and he was a treasure protector.

"Riley!"

Started, Riley yanked out his earbuds and grabbed the forgotten headset on the shelf beside him. Slipping them on, he scrambled to keep his laptop from crashing to the floor. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Are we ready?"

Two more keystrokes and the security footage playing down the hall was forced into a loop. Now all the monitors showed were empty corridors and hallways. No one would know what they were up to.

Next was the security system and alarms. Lines of code flooded the screen. Riley was in his element. Quickly tunneling under the firewalls and breaking through the safeguards, he was almost halfway there in less than two minutes.

"Riley?"

Eyes fixed on the screen, Riley grinned. "Patience Ben, you can't rush genius."

Benjamin Gates. He was a very interesting man. Maybe that was why he had followed him on so many adventures, on so many dangerous expeditions. Riley had been in college when they first met. Ben was a guest speaker who had been giving a lecture on the Founding Fathers. Soon however, the topic shifted, taking on a more exciting tone. While most of the class had either dosed off or engaged in quiet side conversations, Riley had all of his attention on the front of the room. He was fascinated by the stories the man was telling. He could tell that Ben genuinely believed in the myths by the way he spun the tales with such conviction and wonder. History might not have been his forte, but he had felt some sort of connection, a hunger to be part of it all. Not long after, Ben and Riley started down the road to becoming best friends.

He was once again jarred to reality, this time by a female voice.

"Oh my god, we're going to get caught at this rate! Riley, please spare us the suspense."

"Well, since you said please…"

Abigail Chase was a strong-willed and stubborn woman. Riley wouldn't call her 'drop-dead gorgeous,' but she was pretty. When the three of them first met, she had thought that he and Ben were both out of their minds, and rightly so! After all, they had kidnapped her in the process of looking for an invisible map on the back of a national document. But hey, that was just another night for them, and soon, it was for her, too.

Finally the sensors were offline and all the gated off sectors and access points were unlocked.

_Game on_

"Alright Ben," People probably wondered why he went along for the ride, why he was always risking his life and freedom for the far-fetched fantasies of one man. The answer was simple. Riley owed Ben everything. If not for the brave historian, Riley would most likely be forgotten in some cubical at some company where the closest thing to excitement would be the restocking of the vending machines. Instead, he found himself in a cramped storage closet helping his friends break into a museum at two-thirty in the morning. And he was enjoying every second of it. "You've got the green light."


	2. Chapter 2

Ben and Abigail slipped into the building through one of the side entrances. Pulling out their flashlights, they kept the beams on the floor only a few feet ahead so they wouldn't attract anyone's attention. Having mapped out the museum the day before, they quickly and quietly made their way down the dark hallways. With the occasional heads up from Riley, they managed to avoid the patrolling guards. During the discreet questioning of yesterdays unsuspecting floor staff, Abigail had discovered that what they were searching for was being stored away in the basement.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_Abigail walked across the parking lot behind the National Achieves building. After a long day, she was on her way to her car when she overheard two of her coworkers talking._

_"Hey, did you hear? Apparently that shipment of artifacts was almost hijacked last night. You know, the one coming up from South America."_

_"Again?! That's the second time! What's the big deal anyway? I heard it's just a bunch of junk and old books."_

_"Man, I don't know. Desperate times sure bring out the nutjobs huh?"_

_"Probably, but I'll tell you one thing. If it was all solid gold, then I'd guarantee that the two of us would be out there too!" Both men laughed as they walked to their vehicles._

_Abigail stood, key in hand. She too had read about the first hijacking attempt a few days ago, but hadn't given it much thought. All she knew was that some artifacts were going to be displayed at a museum in southern Washington D.C. Now she was curious._

_When she got home, the first thing Abigail did was hop on her computer in search of the article. Skimming the results, she didn't have to look far; she didn't even have to leave the front page. The link was the third from the top. She found that the article didn't give much information on the crime itself or the perpetrators, but it did give some background on the cargo._

_An early 19th century explorer by the name of Christopher Isaac had traveled down to South America to survey the exotic landscape. He travelled with seven other men and lived in the foreign forests for months. Legends claimed that his group had made contact with a native tribe. After becoming allies, Isaac and his men basked in their riches. Of course no one knew the truth because they were never seen or heard from again._

_Just as she finished reading the article, Abigail's cell phone rang. Looking down, she recognized Ben's number. She immediately answered and told Ben what she had found._

_Once Abigail finished, Ben agreed that it could be something worth looking into. After making a quick call to Riley, the three of them stayed up all night formulating a plan._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Ghosting through a door at the end of the east wing, Ben and Abigail ignored the 'off limits' sign as they came upon an unlit flight of stairs.

"You know, we could just wait until it's put on display," Abigail remarked. "I know we can't risk giving whoever was trying to steal it another chance, but the place is already on high alert. There has to be an easier way that wouldn't result in a possible felony. Something more…"

"Legal?" Ben couldn't hold back a smirk. "Now, where would be the fun in that?"

 

* * *

 

Riley watched as Abigail and Ben advanced out of the camera's view and ventured deeper and deeper into the basement. His eyes then turned to scan the other camera feeds.

Movement on Camera 12 caught his attention. A security guard was making his rounds down a corridor.

_Camera 12? Wait…_

He was immediately drawn to the sound of approaching footsteps. Camera 12 was in his hallway! Riley scrambled to shut his laptop without making a sound. He reflexively pushed himself as far back into the closet as possible. Seconds later, the footsteps paused and a light was shown through the crack underneath the door. Holding his breath, Riley was sure that the guard could hear his heart threatening to break through his ribcage. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the light disappeared and the footsteps continued down the hall until they disappeared.

Once he was sure that he wasn't going to keel over from a heart attack, Riley sighed and reopened his laptop. He almost wished he was down in the basement with Ben.

Riley's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the flashing screen.

"Uh oh." 

* * *

 

Reaching the foot of the stairs, Ben and Abigail were faced with a maze of crates and boxes. After sharing a look, Abigail took the right side of the room while Ben took the left.

Not ten minutes into their search, Ben heard Abigail call, "I think I found something! Over here!"

Rushing to her side, he came to a halt in front of a large wooden crate. By the looks of it, the crate was new. There was no layer of dust covering it like the others and it was placed closer to the entrance.

Retrieving a crowbar from his bag, Ben quickly pried open the lid, careful to do as little damage as possible and leave no evidence of them being there.

Once the lid had been removed, they began to rummage through the contents. At first glance, the items didn't seem to be that important, but someone had gone to pretty serious lengths to get their hands on something. The crate contained rusted pots and pans, worn clothes and bedding, tattered maps, compasses and old navigation equipment, and other travel necessities. Ben and Abigail were more so focused on the books. Most of them were full of more maps and traveling guides, but it was amongst a small collection of story books that Ben found a journal.

Opening the cover, he motioned for Abigail to shine her flashlight onto the first page. Although the writing was faded and slightly smudged, they could just make out the words.

Christopher Isaac

Excited smiles spread across their faces. Something told Ben that the information they were looking for was hiding somewhere in its pages. Their moment of joy was interrupted by the sudden flashing of lights and shrieking of alarms.

Sounding slightly panicked, Riley's voice came through their radios.

"Uh, guys? We have a problem."


	3. Chapter 3

The alarms wailed as Ben and Abigail rushed to replace the container lid.

"Riley, what the hell's going on?!" Ben shouted. Having no other choice, he stored the journal safely away in his backpack. They had only just opened the front cover before the alarms sounded. They would have to take it with them to read later. Turning to leave, the pair froze when footsteps began to thunder from further up the stairwell.

"I don't know what happened! Someone hacked me and turned all of the security protocols back on," Riley informed him. "I'm trying to stall but you two have to go NOW. The way you came is already swarming with guards. Hold on. I don't have eyes down there so give me a sec to pull up the building schematics."

As the sound of shouting grew closer, Ben pulled Abigail back towards the maze. Hiding behind a tall pile of wooden containers, they watched as security started to flood the front of the room.

"Anytime Riley!" she whispered.

Pulling up the files, Riley's eyes quickly scanned the basement for a second exit.  _Come on, come on, there should be…there!_  "Okay, make your way to the back of the room. There should be a ventilation duct about thirty feet to your right."

Following his directions, Ben and Abigail weaved their way through the endless crates and boxes. They could hear orders being given out to search every corner of the basement. Taking multiple twists and turns between the towering stacks of boxes, Abigail prayed that they didn't get turned around. If they ended up running into a group of guards, something told her that they wouldn't be able simply talking their way out of that one.

Coming across the back wall, their eyes frantically searched for the vent. Abigail was the first to spot it. "There!"

Ben followed her gaze. The vent was exactly where Riley said it would be, however he failed to mention one slight detail. The vent was a good ten feet off the ground.

Tossing her the crowbar, Ben moved underneath the vent and took a knee. Looking over his shoulder, he smiled. "Ladies first."

Abigail didn't hesitate. She hopped onto his shoulders and Ben quickly hoisted her up so that she was directly in front of the panel. With the yelling of the guards and the high-pitched screeching of the alarms, Abigail didn't bother keeping quiet. The clang of the crowbar being forced between the panel and the wall and the creak of it being pried free were both easily drowned out by the surrounding chaos. Once the cover was out of the way, she threw it into the small space along with the crowbar. Climbing in, Abigail turned around and reached down as Ben passed up their bags. She then scooted away from the opening as he took a few paces back. Ben could practically feel the vibrations as the sound of heavy boots echoed, getting louder and louder as they closed in on his location. They were running out of time!

Charging forward, Ben launched himself upwards. His fingers barely made it over the opening's edge, but with Abigail's help he managed to pull himself up and they quickly replaced the vent cover. It snapped into place just as the guards broke past the last row of crates.

"Ben? You guys okay?" Riley's voice cracked over their radios. Unfortunately, in the confined space the sound bounced off the walls and amplified.

Quickly turning down the volume, they peeked down at the security personnel below. Thankfully, they were too caught up in the commotion to notice. The guards were all wondering around, confusion evident in their faces. A man pushed his way to the middle of the room. The man, who they guessed was in charge, barked out orders, clearly frustrated.

"Everyone listen up! Half of you stay here and search every inch of this room. That includes the storage containers. The rest of you are coming with me. We're going to check this place floor by floor. I want whoever broke in found, you hear me?! People don't just up and disappear you know!"

Ben and Abigail chuckled quietly as the man lead a large group back towards the entrance. They could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. "Yeah, we're fine Riley. What's next?"

Riley continued to guide them through the ventilation system.

Finally making it to the end, Ben kicked out the panel. After he crawled out, Abigail pushed their gear out first before following suit. They now stood in a dark alleyway on the west side of the building. Checking his watch, Ben was shocked to see that it had taken them a little over five minutes to make their way up from the basement.

"Riley, where are you?" he asked as he helped Abigail to her feet.

"I'm just finishing packing up. You guys should get out of here before someone sees you. I'll meet you at the car." Riley replied.

"Riley…"

"Don't worry Ben. I have an exit strategy of my own," he assured him.

"Just be careful."

"When am I not?"

Before Ben could say anymore, the connection was lost. He couldn't quite explain it, but he was getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Ben!"

Abigail's urgent voice broke him out of his musings. The sound of police sirens blared in the distance.

Grabbing his bag and hauling it over his shoulder, Ben gave the building one last look before following Abigail down the alley.

_Hurry Riley_


	4. Chapter 4

Having cut all communications with his friends, Riley pulled off his headset and shut his laptop. Sliding both into his backpack, he stood, popped the tight joints in his neck, cracked his back, and zipped up his jumpsuit. Riley then lowered his bag into the large trashcan to his left before placing it onto the nearby cleaning cart.

All packed and ready to go, Riley pushed the cart out of the storage closet and into the empty hallway. The alarms had finally stopped sounding and the corridor was laced in an eerie silence. Frowning slightly at the small squeak in the front right wheel, he pulled on a dark blue cap to match his navy blue janitorial uniform. The role of the innocent, underpaid janitor may have been one of the most cliché disguises ever, but Riley had always wanted to try it out for himself. He had seen enough movies to know how it was done.

Pulling the cap down further to cover his eyes, Riley preceded down the hall. All he had to do was make it to the staff lounge located in the northeast corner of the building. From there, he just needed to slip out the back door employees used when they needed a smoke and he would be home free.

"Hey, you!"

Riley tensed as a pair of lights fell upon him from behind. Of course the universe insisted on making things, generally his life, difficult. There was nowhere to run and hiding was obviously no longer an option, so he took a deep breath and turned to face the two men approaching him.

The guard on the left looked like it was his first week on the job. His fingers twitched anxiously and his eyes were full of apprehension as they jerkily inspected Riley. His partner, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. The man on the right looked to be in his late forties with salt and pepper hair and a calm and relaxed demeanor.

"What are you doing here?" the younger man asked sharply. "The museum closed hours ago."

Riley almost winced at the aggression in his voice, but forced himself to stand his ground.

"Oh, I'm just cleaning up," he replied indifferently, motioning lazily down his uniform. "Kind of fits the job description, don't you think?"

"This late?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously. The man may have been new to the job, but he wasn't born yesterday. He wasn't going to make this easy.

Thinking fast, Riley used the first excuse that popped into his head. "The in-laws are in town. More specifically, they're staying at my place, so excuse me for trying to keep out of the battlefield."

The younger man opened his mouth to reply, but his partner beat him to it.

"I completely understand where you're coming from," he laughed. "I just went to a family reunion last month with my wife. We barely made it back in one piece."

Riley continued to play along. "My father-in-law isn't all that bad. He tells a lot of great stories and we get along really well. He's kind of like an older brother to me. Now it's my mother-in-law you have to watch out for. When she's in the room, it's a completely different ballgame. She's crazy! The old lady just won't give me a break, always nagging and finding something wrong with everything I do. The fact that I work part-time as a janitor doesn't help much either. She'll go on and on about how I'll never be able to properly support her daughter. Snobby old bag, I swear! She's even got my fiancé on her side! Man, I don't even want to go into it." Words couldn't express how relieved Riley was that his radio was off and he wasn't wearing an earwig.

The man's face suddenly turned thoughtful. "Now that I think about it, I don't believe I've ever seen you around here before."

"Yeah, I'm new. I just started last week." Riley hastily changed the subject. "What happened anyway? I heard the alarms go off. Was it a false alarm or something?"

"Looks like it. With that new shipment in we were on high alert, but we searched this place top to bottom and came up with nothing. It was probably just some neighborhood kids looking for trouble."

"But we'll still need to see your ID," the younger man cut in, trying to ignore the glare his partner sent his way.

"Yeah, sure." Pulling it out, Riley purposefully handed it to the senior guard, who gave it a quick onceover before returning it. He had to admit, the fake identification card he was equipped with looked pretty convincing for a rush job.

"Looks legit. We better head back down to the basement before the chief blows his top. In the meantime, why don't you go home and get some sleep. You look like a good kid, just remember not to let those women get to you. It's my understanding that they tend to hunt in groups and feed off of male weakness. If you ever need anything, look me up," the man said with a smile. He then turned and led the way as the two men melted back into the darkness.

Riley could tell that the offer was truly sincere. He just couldn't figure out why he would make it to a complete stranger. The man seemed like a very good person. It really warmed his heart, but at the same time he felt slightly guilty for lying straight to his face. Though he couldn't quite place it, there had been a certain tone in the man's voice. It was masked behind the bright smile and carefree laugh. Joy? No, that couldn't be it. As far as Riley knew, this had been their first meeting. Maybe he had just imagined it.

Letting the matter drop, Riley took a moment to let all the tension leave his body before continuing towards the lounge. As it turned out, the room had been right around the corner. Scanning his all access security card, Riley pushed open the door and made his way to the back, the bright red exit sign the only light illuminating the room. Riley bent down to retrieve his bag from the cart.

_Click_

Riley froze. The small metallic sound was unmistakable, the safety being released on a gun. Warning bells screamed in Riley's head. All he could think about was a way to talking his way out of this. However, it was the dark, menacing voice that followed that sent shivers down his spine.

"Hello, Mr. Poole."


	5. Chapter 5

The absence of sound in the room was suffocating. Riley's train of thought immediately derailed. He couldn't seem to string one simple thought together. Lost in a thick, impenetrable fog, Riley's mind was frozen. All cohesive ideas and coherent notions slipped through his fingers and lingered just beyond his grasp. Panic threatened to consume him as he reminded himself how to breathe, only acutely aware of the cold sweat trickling down his back. Rigid and stiff, his body felt numb. Riley was shutting down.

 _Get a grip!_  Riley's brain was just like a computer. If too many programs were running at once, it would slow and freeze up. All he had to do was restart; cool down and go back to the beginning. Focusing on his heart rate and breathing, Riley grinned with relief as sensation slowly began to return, starting from his feet all the way up to his head.

Having calmed down, Riley closed his eyes. Forcing his back to straighten, he let his mind race. At first, he had thought the voice belonged to another security guard or that the pair he just encountered had doubled back, seen him enter the staff lounge, and called for backup. Both ideas had gone out the window the minute the stranger had addressed him by his name.  _He knows my name…_  Next, Riley hadn't heard the man enter. If the man had followed, the lock on the door would have given the same shrill beep and click it had after Riley had scanned his access card, which only left one option; that the man had been there first.

The only staff left in the building this late was security, and none of them knew his true identity. So why was this man waiting for him? He must have known that this was Riley's only escape route, but to know that he had to either be the person who hacked him and thrown him into this mess in the first place, or worked with whoever did.

"I'd prefer to speak face to face if you'd be so kind."

Riley opened his eyes. He was still facing the exit. Turning around slowly, he was met with the silhouette of a man sitting in a dark-colored lounge chair to the right of the doorway. The darkness shrouded his face from view. From what he could make out, Riley guessed that the man was around 6'1" with a medium build. His left leg was propped up on his right knee and judging from the way his polished black shoe reflected to moonlight cutting along his stomach and legs, he wore an equally expensive suit. A glint to his left caught Riley's attention. The gun was held in the man's right hand, his arm laying idly on the armrest. The barrel was aimed directly at Riley's chest.

"Much better. Now have a seat Mr. Poole, we have much to discuss." The stranger's voice, occasionally showing signs of a faint English accent, held a certain tone. Not exactly snide, but it was close and Riley was instantly annoyed.

"I think I'll stand," Riley replied calmly. Leaning against the nearby countertop, he channeled every action movie he could think of and tried his best to look completely unintimidated by the situation. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a little short on time so can we make this quick?" Though he couldn't see it, Riley could practically feel the sinister smile spread across the man's face.

"Ah yes. Well, my associate has tampered with the signals and radio frequencies around the building. Law enforcement will be a little late but, I'll make this as brief as I possibly can. I am here to warn you to stay away from matters that are none of your concern."

"The hijacking attempts," Riley stated, not missing a beat. "Those were all you're doing."

"Not directly. I hired a group of men to do my, you could say, dirty work. I admit that was my mistake. Those idiots almost ruined me! Good help is so hard to come by these days," he sighed. "To be truthful, I had considered enlisting you and your friends for the job. I mean with your reputation, who wouldn't? But after the second failure I came to a conclusion. I have to be the one do this. What is the saying? If you want it done right, you have to do it yourself."

"Why would you go to so much trouble?"

"I'm simply taking what's rightful mine," the man hissed, his voice taking on a more serious tone.

"So, why are you here? You risked getting caught. There has to be a reason," Riley asked.

"I guess you could say that you've piqued my interest, Mr. Poole." And just like that, he was back to the same conservative attitude as before, as if he had not a care in the world. "I've heard rumors of Benjamin Gates. How he seems to have a knack for finding lost treasures and forgotten artifacts. His ability to decipher messages left behind by those of the past. There is even talk of his blonde girlfriend. 'Smoking hot' is the term they used to describe her, I believe. A real brain from what I understand. Then, there's you; the piece that doesn't fit, the outlier. You see, I'm the type of person who demands a certain amount of order. I like to see everything come together." He leaned forward slightly. "Now you Riley, you confuse me. It is alright if I call you Riley, isn't it?"

Riley didn't answer.  _What's he getting at?_

"Oh! It would seem I've gotten ahead of myself. Where are my manners?" The man leaned forward even more, extending his hand. The stream of dim moonlight that seeped in from the window to Riley's right illuminated his face. The man had a clean shaven head and face split by a devilish smile. A long, faded scar ran down the side of his face, trailing from his left temple down to his chin.  _Knife wound_ Riley guessed. What immediately caught his attention was the man's tattoo. There was a small jet black scorpion encircling the outer edge of his right eye. "I'm Masson Scott."

Not really seeing any other option, Riley pushed himself off the counter and moved forward to shake Masson's hand. He winced inwardly as his sleeve fell back and revealed another tattoo. The head of a snake peeked out.  _This guy just screams poisonous doesn't he?_  Moving back, Riley hopped up onto the surface of the countertop and waited for Masson to make the next move.

"As I was saying, I believe that everything should have a place, a purpose. Tell me Riley, what is your role in all of this?"

Riley stared at him for a moment. Seeing that the question wasn't rhetorical, Riley briefly explained what he did to ensure that he and his friends didn't end up in a jail cell. It was all pretty simple. He got Ben and Abigail in, took down security, got them out, put everything back, went home, and depending on the time either went straight to bed or had his brain melted with Ben and Abigail's historical rambling and old married couple wourthy bickering. All the while, Masson listened to him calmly; his face neutral, giving nothing away.

When Riley was finished, Masson raised his eyebrows. "I understand why you would come to that conclusion, but a certain rumor has made me see you in a new, albeit quizzical light. You see, you are not just a puzzle piece that doesn't fit, you are an extra piece. With these new facts, I have drawn the conclusion that your significance is invalid. You aren't a missing peace, there is simply no room for you."

Riley narrowed his eyes. "What's that suppose to mean?"

"I overheard a certain rumor. Apparently, Benjamin Gates infiltrated the White House with the help of his partner Abigail Chase whose seductive looks paved their way; even setting foot in the Oval Office. Of course no one could prove it, the man in question not willing nor stupid enough to step forward. So the story is now nothing more than a that, a story. I, on the other hand, know that they are more than capable of pulling off such a feat. And now I am left with a few questions. The first of which is quite simple. Where were you, Riley?" Not waiting for the man to answer, Masson continued. "I'll admit that your skills can be convenient in some instances, but they aren't really needed, now are they? For example, tonight. Aside from the fact that my associate bypassed your efforts, you did a pretty good job disabling the security system and granting your companions access to the basement, but it wasn't necessary. Think about it Riley. Young Abigail could have just strutted into the security office and gone with the same act she used at the White House; showing off her body as a distraction while Mr. Gates slipped past undetected. Your assistance wasn't needed then and it isn't needed now.

"My second question is more hypothetical. Say that instead of technical support, you served the same purpose as your friends; a more hands on method. Would you be able to handle, not only the responsibilities, but yourself? It must be very frustrating for those two, especially Benjamin. Having to constantly look over his shoulder to make sure you haven't caused any trouble. I don't know how he does it! You see, my colleague has a very lethal set of skills that insures me that no one will get the jump on him. On the off chance that someone does, they certainty won't be the one walking away. Even Abigail is capable of taking care of herself to a certain extent. Granted she could be more equipped to handle curtain situations, she somehow manages. This has made me realize another thing about you. You're dangerous Riley. One day you will get Mr. Gates killed."

Riley was speechless. The venom from Masson's words stung. Even worse, they held a good amount of truth. Riley  _had_  gotten Ben and Abigail to safety, but it was his inefficiency to keep them undetected that had put them in danger in the first place. On more than one occasion Ben had come to his rescue and always had his back, but did Riley have his in return? It was Masson's last statement that made his heart stop, put ice in his veins. Ben was Riley's best friend. He had seen something in Riley that no one else did. He would do anything for Riley, even at the risk of his own life. Riley knew all of this, but when Masson threw it in his face in such a blunt manner, it made him feel sick.

"Well, it would seem we are all out of time." Masson stated. Riley was so immersed in his musings that he didn't notice the sound of voices coming from further up the hall.

Masson stood and crossed the room as Riley slowly jumped down from the countertop. He then stopped short, placed a heavy hand on Riley's shoulder and whispered into his ear. "I'm only going to warn you once. Back off," Masson hissed. Riley couldn't hold back the wince as Masson's grip tightened painfully. Dropping his hand, the man grinned; the glint in his eyes at odds with the gaze of the snake on his wrist. Then he continued towards the exit and pausing in the doorway. Masson didn't turn around. "Although, I'm fairly cetain that our paths will cross again," he chuckled.

Riley stood frozen, the click of the door his only indication of Masson's departure. The voices in the hall grew louder.

_Riley..._

Ben's voice echoed in Riley's head, reminding him of his friends that were waiting outside. He had to go. He couldn't get caught and dragged off to jail after coming this far. Riley forced himself to move. If not for himself, then for Ben and Abigail. He had a job to do.

Quickly gathering his bag from the trashcan, Riley rushed out the backdoor.

 

* * *

 

"That's it! I'm going in to find him," Ben exclaimed, reaching to unbuckle his seatbelt.

He and Abigail sat in the car, parked down the block from the museum. They had front row seats as police cars came racing down the street and skidded to a halt in front of the building. The two watched nervously as several officers made their way up the front steps and in through the front doors.

"Wait," Abigail said as she reached forward to stop him. "Then we'll all be split up. Just give it another few minutes. If he's not out here by then, we'll both go."

Ben sat back with a sigh. He knew Abigail was right. If he ran back in half-cocked, he would be putting their entire mission in jeopardy. However, it did nothing to ease his worry. It had been over ten minutes since he had last spoken to Riley.  _What if he got caught?_ He was not leaving his best friend behind.

Ben looked down at his watch. "Times up. Let's g-"

The driver's side door burst open and Riley scrambled into the car.

"It's about time! We were just about to drive off without you," Abigail laughed. Riley stilled, his body tense. She frowned, but before she could call him on it Riley tossed his bag back and started the car. With no snide comment or snarky remark he pulled out onto the street.

Ben had noticed the odd behavior too. "You alright Riley?"

"Just fine," he answered stiffly. "Let's get out of here."

Ben's brow furrowed in concern and he turned to meet Abigail's gaze. It mirrored his own, but neither of them inquired further, both missing the look on their friends face. Riley's knuckles turned white as his grip on the steering wheel tightened. His eyes suddenly ablaze with determination.  _Scott doesn't know what he's talking about. He doesn't know me! I'll prove that arrogant bastard wrong. Just you wait!_


	6. Chapter 6

Gravel crunched as the tires slowed to a stop in front of the Gates mansion.

The ride home had been an awkward one to say the least. Riley had been uncharacteristically quiet as he kept his eyes glued to the road. Abigail and Ben shot each other anxious glances, but made no comment. It strangely felt like they were walking on egg shells. However, as they drove further and further away from the museum, the tension in Riley's shoulders eased and soon he was back to making wise remarks and cracking jokes. Ben wasn't fooled though. As Riley and Abigail hurled good-natured banter back and forth, he could tell that his friend's laughter was somewhat strained. Even his smile, usually happy and carefree, seemed somewhat forced. Ben made a mental note to pull Riley aside and have a talk with him the next chance he had.

Ben and Abigail both exited the car, bags in hand. After their little adventure at Mt. Rushmore, the two of them decided to give their relationship another chance. For the life of him, Riley couldn't understand it. Was he the only one who remembered that both of them had been willing to sacrifice the other for the sake of an old piece of paper? In his opinion, that should have been a pretty big sign that commitment was out of the question. Then again, if anyone could make it work Riley knew it was Ben.

"Why don't you spend the night with us, Riley?" Abigail asked. "We could use the extra brain power."

Something flashed through Riley's eyes. However, before Ben could make out exactly what it was, Riley plastered a smile on his face. "Sorry guys, but as much as I would love to spend the night going through some other guy's diary, I'll have to pass. Believe it or not, I do have a life you know. Said life includes, but is not limited to, catching up on the," he looked down at his watch, " four hours of sleep I have left."

"Come on, Riley. These men spent months out in the wild with no technology. That means no GPS, no computer, no video games, nothing. You could really learn something!" Abigail joked.

"I'll tell you what," he said after a moments consideration. "I'm pretty sure I have a brochure from the museum around here somewhere. I'll read that and get back to you." Not giving either of them a chance to reply, he threw the car back into drive and sped off.

Abigail put her hands on her hips and looked like she was going to say something, but simply shrugged before turning and making her way inside.

Ben stayed behind a moment longer, staring past the cloud of dust left behind and into the night where his friend's tail lights had disappeared. He continued to replay the flash of emotion Riley had tried so desperately to cover up. In that split second Riley looked slightly haunted, tortured even. The moment Riley had slid into the driver's seat, Ben knew something was wrong. For some reason, Ben felt as if a rift had grown between them. Riley was keeping something from him, he just didn't know what. Why couldn't Riley trust him? They had trusted each other for years. What had changed? Heart twisting, Ben suddenly felt very lonely.

With a sigh Ben turned and followed Abigail into the mansion. He really wished that Riley had stayed.

The trip home was a blur. Before he knew it, Riley pulled into his parking space and shut off the engine. Getting out, Riley stumbled, feeling as if he had hit a wall. His body felt like it was made of lead. Shuffling up to the second floor of his apartment complex, he fished out his keys, unlocked the door, and shouldered it open. The dark, arid room that welcomed him was nothing new. It wasn't like there was ever anyone waiting for him.

Not even bothering to turn on a light, Riley made a beeline for his room. Throwing his gear in the corner and his keys onto his bedside table, he quickly changed and flopped down onto his mattress. A cold draft blew in from his open window, but Riley was too tired to get up and close it. Instead, he wrapped himself up in his blankets and stared at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to take him.

After several minutes of silence, Riley shouted in frustration and threw his pillow at the far wall. "Damn it!" He turned onto his side and curled into a tight ball, head grasped in his hands. He was exhausted, but every time he closed his eyes all he could see was that arrogant smirk, that little scorpion, and that poisonous snake. All he could hear was Masson's pointed jeers as he took every one of Riley's flaws and threw it in his face. All he wanted to do was sleep and forget that this night had ever happened. He had somehow gotten it all under control on the way to drop Ben and Abigail off. He had all his emotion in check. That was until Abigail had asked him to spend the night with them. Riley almost lost it. Masson's face flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help the wave insecurity that followed. What would he be able to do? There was no hacking involved, no technological aspect he could work. Surely they wouldn't need his input, and he sure as hell wasn't going to sit in the corner doing nothing. Riley really hoped he hadn't let any of that slip through the cracks, before driving off.

Seeing as he wasn't going to be getting any sleep any time soon, Riley rolled out of bed, gathered his pillow and a blanket, and moved to the living room. Stretching himself out on the couch, he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. After spending the next ten minutes flipping through channels, Riley found nothing to watch. Turing on his PS3, he popped in Call of Duty.

Riley sighed as he won his fifth round in a row. Maybe he should have taken Abigail up on her offer. Riley snorted bitterly as he pictured Ben and Abigail going through the journal, tossing theories and possibilities back and forth while Riley was left to bring them coffee and water. He shut down the system, and stared out his window as he made his way back to his bedroom. The sun was just starting to peek out over the horizon.

As Riley turned onto his stomach in one last attempt at sleep, one final thought occurred to him. Maybe he wouldn't have been of much help, but it would have been far better than wondering tiredly around his apartment. It sure would have been a lot less lonely Riley thought somberly as he finally slipped into a restless sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Sorry about the wait. I had a little trouble with this chapter. I hope it isn't too bad :P Really quick, I want to let you know that this is NOT slash. If that's what you were looking or hoping for, sorry :( I hope you will stick around anyway to see what happens. On a lighter note, I want to give a special thanks to those of you who have taken the time to comment! It really helps me write more and update faster!

A hazy mist engulfed the bathroom as scolding water cascaded down his back. Riley sighed with pleasure. His body melted as the last of his drowsiness was seemingly washed down the drain. Closing his eyes, Riley felt the dark circles beneath them be erased as he turned and let the water splash down over his face. He didn't have time to enjoy the relief though. Reminding himself he had somewhere to be, Riley quickly washed up and hopped out.

Throwing on a black T-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans, Riley grabbed his towel, slung it loosely over his shoulders and walked back into the humid room to brush his teeth. The mirror was still foggy, but he could see himself in the patches that had begun to clear.

As he finished, he placed both hands on opposite sides of the sink and let his head hang for a moment, towel draped over his still dripping hair. Looking up, Riley's eyes were drawn to the faint scar that ran down the tail of his left eyebrow. It was barely visible, and no one noticed it unless they were really looking. Raising his hand, Riley's fingers gently traced its smooth surface as his mind drifted back to one of his first adventures with Ben.

**FLASHBACK**

_Laying a hand against the nearby brick wall, Riley struggled to catch his breath. The layer of sweat covering his brow and flushed cheeks turned sliver in the pale moonlight. Heat coursed through his body, his temperature rising with each passing minute. Why was he so hot?! Thinking back to that morning, Riley remembered waking up with a slight headache. He had stayed up all night tracking a group of poachers they were tailing, so he hadn't given it much thought, but now..._

_"Maybe I should have just stayed in bed," he muttered. It sure would have saved him the trouble of running through various side streets and alleyways after stealing back a collection of ancient jewels, but then Ben would have had to face the danger alone. Even though he hadn't known the man long, Riley wasn't the type of person to just sit back and let someone get hurt if there was something he could do to help._

_Beginning to feel a little lightheaded, Riley turned until his back hit the wall and slowly sank to the ground. Ben was now checking to make sure the coast was clear before they headed back to the hotel. Riley pulled his legs in close until they touched his chest and buried his face in his jeans, his knees pressing into his eye sockets as he attempted to keep the sudden wave of nausea at bay. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel the world spinning around him._

_He didn't know how long he sat like that, but Riley's head snapped up at the echo of approaching footsteps. It took a few moments for his eyes to focus, but he soon recognized Ben as he came jogging towards him._

_"Okay looks like we're good to go..." Ben started as Riley pushed himself to his feet. He swayed slightly as the world tilted. "You alright, kid?"_

_Riley waved him off dismissively, concentrating hard until his vision returned to normal. He was seeing double, perfect._

_"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Let's g-" he stopped as everything finally settled and fell into place. A man stood in the entrance of the alley, nothing more than a silhouette cloaked in the darkness of the poorly lit space. Riley's eyes were glued to his hand as he raised it, cocked the SIG, and took aim, his finger inching towards the trigger._

_Oh god._

_BAM!_

 

* * *

 

_He was floating. Waves of darkness lapped at the edges of his mind, gentle but persistent as they threatened to pull him under. Riley hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time, the silence mysteriously comforting. He could stay like this forever._

_Riley?_

_He stirred. The voice sounded so familiar, but he was too tired to think any further and decided to ignore it._

_Riley!_

_His ears perked as a sense of urgency suddenly tugged at the corners of his mind. Riley flinched. The voice was closer this time, but with it came a heatwave. As he tried to shrink back into the cool depths of unconsciousness, Riley wondered why whoever it was, wouldn't just leave him alone. Wait. He knew that voice...Ben! Why did Ben sound so concerned? Was he in trouble? The heat intensified as he remembered. The stolen gems. The alley. The gun._

_His left temple exploded in pain._

_RILEY!_

_Eyes snapping open, Riley jerked upwards. He didn't make it far before a set of steady hands caught him by the shoulders. Looking around, Riley realized that he was now laying on the cool pavement. Riley groaned inwardly. He passed out. Smooth._

_Ben's face moved into his line of vision, features laced with concern. "You with me, kid?"_

_Riley nodded. He couldn't seem to find the words to answer. His tongue was like sandpaper and his body was once again radiating heat. Ben was crouched by his side and holding something against his left temple. Riley winced as he applied pressure._

_"What happened?" Riley groaned as he struggled to maintain what was left of his dignity._

_"You don't remember?" Ben asked, eyeing him warily as he removed what looked like a rag from his head._

_Raising a hand to the still throbbing area, Riley tried not to freak out when he drew it away and found blood on his finger tips. That can't be good. "Uh...I remember we stole back those gems and you were checking our escape route. Then I saw a guy with a gun." He paused to take a look around. "Where'd he go?"_

_"He ran. The bullet just grazed you and he probably thought he killed us." Suddenly, Ben's eyes drained of all worry and burned with anger. "Why didn't you tell me you were sick?" he demanded._

_Riley blinked. This was definitely not where he thought this conversation was going. Considering the fact that he had just collapsed and was basically a portable space heater now, if Ben hadn't noticed then they would have had a problem. But he hadn't expected him to care._

_Recovering from his surprise, Riley shrugged. "It wasn't that bad," he muttered as he struggled to his feet. "It was just a headache."_

_"Well, it looks like a lot more than a headache now, doesn't it? Even if it was, it doesn't matter," Ben argued. "I need to know you're up to whatever we need to get done and if you're not, you need to let me know. Your safety is my number one priority. You can't keep these things from me."_

_Riley was tempted to point out that the way they spent their free time was not exactly safe to begin with, but he could see what he meant. This line of work was built on one thing. Trust. And for some reason or another, Riley found that strangely easy to comply with when it came to working with Ben._

_"Alright, look I'm sorry," he sighed. "It really wasn't that bad. Well, at least up until a little while ago. It's not like I don't trust you or anything."_

_"Yeah, I know." Ben nodded as he held out his hand. "Just don't do it again."_

_Riley took it and they shook hands in agreement. He was startled when instead of letting go, Ben drew Riley's arm over his shoulders and took on half of his weight._

_"Now let's get you to bed" Ben grunted. "You look like hell."_

**END FLASHBACK**

Riley groaned, marched into his room, and threw his towel onto his bed. His hair was somewhat dry and as he looked at his phone, he saw he had lost about ten minutes. Plopping down on the edge, he let his head fall into his hands. He rarely ever kept anything from Ben. Now the guilt was practically driving a stake through his conscience.

_You can't keep these things from me._

Resigned, Riley stood and walked towards his front door, snatching up his keys on the way.

He needed to tell Ben the truth.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am soooo sorry about the ridiculously long delay. Being a full-time college student doesn't leave me much time to write :( But I promised myself that I would find the time to write another chapter for you guys over break. I know it's longer than usual, but I hope it was worth the wait!!

Riley frowned, hunching his shoulders against the cool, autumn breeze. He'd tried to rehearse how he would come clean about his little chat with Masson Scott to Ben and Abigail on the drive over. Unfortunately, that didn't pan out so well; he could never seem to come up with the right words. The very thought of the reactions his friends might have was enough to put him on edge.

Watching his breath form a white mist before him and float lazily upwards, Riley pondered just letting the matter drop and carrying on as if nothing had happened. _But then Ben'll just end up finding out some other way._ Riley sighed, lifting his hand to knock for what seemed like the millionth time. Besides, he doubted he would be able to keep up the act for very long. Ben could read him like an open book. In fact, no one knew him better. Riley gave a small smile. He liked to think that particular part of their friendship worked both ways.

Violently shaking away any hesitation or doubt that lingered in his mind, Riley's eyes burned with a fierce determination. _There's no turning back now._

Shifting the bags and drink carrier in his arms, Riley scowled at the door with impatience. He could just hack the security system again. His frown deepened. Yeah 'cause that worked out so well last time; Abigail could be a little sensitive when it came to her personal space.

He had half a mind to just break down the door when it suddenly swung open and revealed a disheveled Abigail. Her hair was a tangled mess with strands flying every which way. Most of her makeup had been rubbed off, and what was left was badly smeared. As his eyes moved downwards, Riley noted that the wrinkled clothes she was wearing were the same ones from last night.

Her slightly unfocused eyes stared at him for a moment before recognition finally flashed through their depths. "Riley!" she exclaimed, blinking owlishly. "I am so sorry! We didn't hear you."

He raised the bags and drinks with a smile. "I come baring gifts! Now are you going to let me in or do you want me to go back to the car and eat all this by myself?"

Abigail opened the door wider, making a grab for the bag as he passed. Riley dodged her with ease and continued down the hall towards the living room, missing the relieved smile that spread across her face. Riley seemed to be in a much better mood today. If he was returning to his old self, that had to be a good sign...right?

"You know, as much as I come over here, I should get a key," he stated with mock annoyance as Abigail caught up.

"That works both ways," she pointed out. "When I get a key to your place, you'll get one to mine."

Riley didn't respond. He did _not_ want to go there.

When they reached the living room, he continued through the doorway and plopped down onto a chair near a window overlooking the back yard, completely disregarding the mess around him. Anyone else would have halted in the entryway, shocked as they took in the scene before them. The beautiful and expensive furniture was draped with dozens of physical and topographic maps. Abigail's precious Boston tea tables were hidden under a mountain of history books and reference material. Some of the maps and books had spilled down onto the floor and were now scattered haphazardly across the carpet. In short, a historical bomb had gone off. Ben was nowhere to be seen.

_Home sweet home_

"Looks like you guys had one wild night." Riley commented as he surveyed the danger zone. "Did you find anything useful?"

Ben's head suddenly popped up from behind the couch. "We found a lot actually..." he started, stumbling to his feet. His head shot to attention, eyes glued to the table beside Riley. "Is that coffee?"

Riley grabbed the cup from the top left corner of the carrier and held it out. Ben smiled gratefully and took the offering. As he brought the cup to his lips, Ben looked over the rim and noted his friend's anxious demeanor. Though he was hiding it well, Ben could see that Riley was fighting hard not to fidget. After last night, he decided it was best not to push him.

Ben's shoulders sagged in bliss as the scolding liquid spilled down his throat and sharpened his senses. For some reason, Ben handled late nights of research better than Abigail. His hair was slightly tousled, but that suited him just fine. And aside from the occasional crease, his clothes were in surprisingly good condition. The only clue that he had a rough night were his eyes. Bloodshot and misty, the chocolate-brown orbs were only halfway visible as his heavy eyelids sagged, threatening to smother them; the dark bags below stood out starkly against his complexion. However, all those signs had disappeared by the second swig of caffeine.

"And for _you_..." Riley turned to Abigail as he reached into the bag and tossed her a muffin. "One Poppy Seed Muffin and a steaming cup of...what is this again?" Taking off the lip, he took a quick smell. Reeling back, Riley's eyes snapped wide open. He passed the drink to her wordlessly, handling it with extreme caution, as if he was dealing with highly toxic chemicals.

"Oh, quit being a baby," Abigail rolled her eyes, snatching the cup from his grasp. "It's organic herbal tea. It helps to relieve stress and strengthen the immune system. It's _good_ for you."

"Yeah whatever," he said as he eyed the cup suspiciously. "You keep saying that, but I bet if I dumped it into any one of your house plants, it'd be dead in ten seconds flat." He yelped as she punched him in the arm.

Giving her a halfhearted glare, Riley produced a bacon double cheeseburger from the other bag.

"Oh, and that's _so_ much better." Abigail shot back as he took his first greasy bite. "And for breakfast?"

"What? There's bacon on it, therefore it qualifies as breakfast," he smiled triumphantly and turned towards Ben. "So what did you find out?"

Ben's eyes lit up in a way that was unique to moments when he was close to uncovering the truth. "Well, after spending a majority of the night reading through the rest of the journal, I'm pretty sure we have most of the pieces together.

"After setting anchor on the northeastern coast of Brazil, Isaac's team started heading south. For months they explored the dense forests, cataloging wildlife and land formations along the way. He goes into such great detail, Abigail and I were able to outline basically their entire journey.

"They traveled along the São Francisco River, so water wasn't a problem. Unfortunately, about seven months in they ran out of food. They were living off of fruit and any animals they could hunt, which was mainly fish from the river and birds. It wasn't long until they were down one man and starving. They all would've died if they hadn't encountered a small tribe of natives who took them in, providing food, water, and a safe place to camp. The relief was short lived though. Tension was starting to rise among the group as they started to become suspicious of one another." 

"There were only three names Isaac mentions in the whole journal," Abigail jumped in. Having finished her muffin, she absently brushed the crumbs off her jeans. "Mitchell Thomas: Isaac's longtime friend and second-in-command, Alexander Smith: the youngest member of the crew, and Edward Scott."

Riley froze. "Did you say Scott?"

"Yeah, he was one of the senior members," Ben stated, looking at him curiously. "Why?"

"The guy that's been trying to get his hands on the shipment has the same last name. Masson Scott," he sneered. "They're most likely related. He seems to be under the impression that the treasure belongs to him. Oh yeah, and he has some of the creepiest tattoos I've ever seen. I'm telling you, the guy's bad news."

Abigail raised an eyebrow. "And how did you find all this out?"

Riley closed his eyes. _It was bound to come out sooner or later._ Trying to maintain his composure, he took a deep breath. _Oh well. Here goes._ "Yeah about that, I met him earlier," he stated offhandedly, crunching up his burger wrapper and shooting it into the trash can across the room.

"You what?!" Ben exclaimed.

Abigail's head snapped up, eyes wide. "When?"

"Last night at the museum," he confessed, suddenly taking a deep interest in the fabric of his hoodie. "He kind of cornered me on the way out. That's the reason I took so long."

"So what? You just decided to keep this little piece of information to yourself?" Ben stated to pace, jaw set and shoulders tense. He was stuck somewhere between anger and disbelief. He _knew_ that something was wrong. Something in his gut kept telling him, keeping him awake, but he hadn't expected this.

 _Aaand this is exactly why I didn't want to tell you._ "All we did was talk," Riley shrugged, picking nervously at a hole in his sleeve.  "Nothing happened."

"And what if something had?" Ben raked his fingers through his hair and down his face before letting out a long sigh. "I knew I should have gone with you," he whispered.

That set him off. Riley's eyes narrowed in rage as he got to his feet. "Hey! Last time I checked, I don't need a babysitter." Masson's words were back, loudly bouncing around in his skull. _It must be very frustrating for those two, especially Benjamin. Having to constantly look over his shoulder to make sure you haven't caused any trouble._ "I can take care of myself!"

"That's not the point!" Ben's seethed, voice having risen to a yell. He was so frustrated! Why hadn't Riley come to him about something so important?

"Oh really? Then what is the point, Ben? Huh? 'Cause I'd really like to know." They were now standing almost nose to nose.

"ALRIGHT!" Abigail shouted as she pushed herself between the two of them. "That's enough. Ben, Riley's right. He's a grown man. You can't go around treating him like a child." Riley smirked and opened his mouth to say something when she continued. "On the other hand, Ben's right too, Riley. This isn't just another white lie, you should have said something."

 _I just did and look how that turned out_ Riley thought darkly as he sank back down into his chair.

With both men reduced to a pair of pouting school girls, Abigail was finally satisfied. "Now can we please get back to the case?"

Ben hesitated and gave Riley a 'this isn't over' look before continuing. "Well.."

_April 21, 1805_

_"I don't know about this, Chris. I've got a bad feeling," Mitchell grunted as the two men stared out over the open valley. They had been living with these strange people for weeks already. He couldn't quite explain it, but something just didn't sit well with him. "That Scott guy's trouble. He's been seeking off with some of the others, keeping secrets. I don't trust him."_

_Isaac turned slowly to face his friend, his features smoothed with a sense of calm. "I don't either," he stated with a confident smile._

_Mitchell had been friends with Christopher long enough to know what the man was thinking by the look on his face. The one he was currently wearing meant he had a plan._

_"Um...excuse me," a timid voice piped up from behind. Both men turned to see the youngest member of their group standing in the doorway. "You said you wanted to see me, sir?"_

_"Alexander!" Isaac beamed, motioning him over. "Just the man I was looking for. There's a very...descrete matter I wanted to share with you."_

_"Sir?"_

_"You've got to be joking," Mitchell snorted._

_"Tell me son," Isaac shot his friend a quick glare before continuing, "what are your thoughts regarding Mister Scott?"_

_Averting his eyes, Alexander shifted under Isaac's intense gaze, uncomfortable with being the center of attention. "Uh, well he seems like a smart man. I mean, he knows a lot of useful things that helped us get this far. He really carries himself with confidence."_

_"Quite fond of the man are we now Mister Smith?" Mitchell rolled his eyes._

_"No need for flattery Alexander. What you say here will stay between the three of us," Isaac urged. " _You are free to speak truthfully."__

_The young man hesitated, searching their faces. "There's been talk," he started slowly. "Mister Scott is recruiting some of the men for something. I don't know what, but he pulled me aside yesterday and told me to take a day or two to consider."_

_"Do you trust him?"_

_Alexander's eyes hardened._ _"No."_

_"In that case," Isaac and Mitchell exchanged a quick glance. "I need you to do something for me..."_

"Isaac enlisted Alexander to accept the offer and spy on Scott." Benexplained. "While giving regular reports to Isaac, he managed to slowly move up the ranks. After months of smuggling ammunition and sneaking off at night to attend secret gatherings, Alexander finally earned Scott's trust. It was during one of the meetings that he figured out what was going on. Scott and his men planned to raid the village and take all the riches for themselves."

"Well, if he had the whole tribe on his side I bet Isaac beat them, right? I mean, even if it was a small tribe, that still leaves it around five to one," Riley pointed out. "They had pretty good odds."

"Hmmm...I don't think so," Ben frowned, shaking his head. "Isaac depicted the tribe as, not only a calm, but peaceful people. I doubt they would have agreed to participate in something as violent as a fight. And even if they did, almost every one of Scott's allies had some form of combat experience. I hate to say it, but against that they probably didn't stand a chance."

"What do you mean _probably_?" Riley questioned. "What did the journal say?"

"That's just it," Abigail sighed. "Isaac wrote detailed summaries of  everything they learned every few days: his thoughts on staying with the tribe, who he suspected of moving over to Scott's side, even everything Alexander told him. He went on for months. Then he just...stopped."

They sat in silence before Riley said what they were all thinking. "So it's safe to assume that they were all killed in the attack."

"Well," Ben stood rolled his head, stretching the kinks from his neck. "We won't know anything for sure until we go and check it out."

"We already have everything sorted," Abigail jumped in, running her fingers over a large map. "Based on the geographic descriptions and timeline, I would have to guess the group encountered the natives somewhere in the southwestern regions of Paraná, Brazil.  Ben and I are going to head down there tomorrow and see if we can find the village. Then we'll look for any clues that might point us in the right direction as to where the treasure is hidden. I already bought plane tickets."

"Uh, excuse me," Riley coughed. "What about me?"

Abigail gaped in surprise. "You actually _want_ to spend your weekend hiking through the rainforest?"

"It's not like I have any other plans," he shrugged. "Besides, do you know how many hot women are down there just waiting to experience _this_?" Riley gestured dramatically towards himself.

"Somewhere close to zero," Abigail muttered as she turned to walk upstairs and get a shower.

"I'm okay with it," Ben shrugged. Actually he was relieved that Riley had volunteered to go. It gave him the opportunity he needed to get the kid alone and figure out what was _really_ going on. He could tell there was more that Riley wasn't telling him, and he was going to figure out what.

"It's settled then," Riley smiled. "We're going to Brazil!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think so far?! Please comment/review.
> 
> We'll see how this semester goes and how busy I am. Hopefully I can get the next chapter up soon!


	9. Chapter 9

SMACK!

"Are we there yet?" Riley sighed. He peeled his hand off the back of his neck before wiping it on his jeans in disgust. It didn't matter how many cans of bug spray he went through, swarms of mosquitoes and gnats were jumping at the chance to dig into any area of exposed skin they could find. Another half hour or so, and his forearms would be ready to play a decent game connect the dots.

Ben rolled his eyes in exasperation, raising his machete to slash through another layer of thick vine. "No, Riley. Don't you think if we were there we'd stop walking?"

They landed at the airport two days ago. The flight was surprisingly relaxed. While Ben stared dreamily out the window, Riley did his best to flirt with an especially attractive flight attendant. There was still a faint tension in the air, but it was easily overshadowed by friendly chit-chat.

After spending the first day asking around, they figured out that the specific tribe they were looking for was called Pessoas Da Névoa, People of the Mist. As it turned out, they were more of a legend than fact. No one had seen them in hundreds of years, and even back then it was rare. When spotted, the tribes people had a tendency to up and disappear, as if they had turned into mist. Ben didn't let this discourage him though. If anything, he was even more determined. They rented a jeep and took it as far as they could before the forest became too dense and the path too uneven. They were forced to make the rest of their journey on foot, much to Riley's discomfort. They had been walking for hours; at this point, he wouldn't be surprised if they ended up right back where they started. The sun was starting to set and Ben could tell Riley was reaching his limit. He was stumbling more and more often and the once steady stream of chatter was becoming more forced.

Riley coughed lightly, turning to look up at all the impossibly tall trunks that surrounded him. He had to admit, no matter how much he hated hiking, the scenery was truly beautiful. Different plants harbored a vast array of vivid and exotic colors, while the trees stretched high, their branches only letting small streams of sunlight seep through to the forest floor. "You sure we're going the right way? I swear we've passed that tree a dozen times already."

Ben stopped and turned to stare at him. "I don't know if you've noticed, but all the trees look the same around here, kid."

"That's my point!" Riley threw his hands in the air before plopping down on a boulder to his right. He prayed that Ben wouldn't notice as he struggled to catch his breath. "Just admit it. We're lost."

"We're not lost! I know exactly where we are," Ben huffed, studying the map before taking another look at their surroundings. "And remember,  _you_  were the one who wanted to come."

"What? Don't you like my company?" Riley smiled, getting up and snatching the map out of Ben's hands. He brought it closer to his face, squinting in concentration as he tried to decipher the numerous curving lines. He needed something to take his mind off his rapidly tightening chest. He hadn't felt this bad in he didn't know how long. Besides, if he could hack into the most complex databases and secure servers in the world, he should have no problem figuring out something as simple as a map.

After a few moments, Riley was starting to get dizzy. He couldn't tell if the lines represented paths and roadways or streams and rivers. He also found himself easily distracted by the quick notes written off to the side in red pen. Riley had no trouble differentiating Abigail's neat, loopy cursive from Ben's messy scrawl. "I knew it! We need to be going that way! See?!" he exclaimed, pointing back the way they came.

Ben peeked over his shoulder. "Uh, Riley? You're holding it upside down."

Riley paused, face blank, before throwing the offending piece of paper in the air, dramatically sinking back down onto his rock. "We're gonna die out here."

Ben chuckled, walking over and patting the defeated techie on the shoulder. He took off his backpack and let it slip to the ground. "How about we take a break?"

Even though he hadn't said anything, Ben could tell that the long trek was beginning to take its toll. Riley's cheeks were slightly flushed and his breathing was becoming more and more labored. He knew the kid had struggled with asthma a lot as a kid before getting a handle on it somewhere in his late teens. When Ben asked him about it, Riley just shrugged it off saying he, "grew out of it." In all the years they'd known each other, Riley had never had any problems other than the occasional coughing spell. In spite of Ben's worry, he ignored any concern Ben showed with a series of, "I'm goods," and, "it'll pass." Regardless, he insisted that Riley carry his inhaler with him wherever they went, just in case.

Ben gazed up at the sky, vivid shades of red and orange beginning to bleed from beyond the horizon.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_"Asthma?!"_

_"Yeah," Riley wheezed, tossing his bag onto the ratty motel bed. Being chased through the crowded streets of Dubai was definitely not on his to-do list. The rusty mattress springs squealed in protest as he sank down and promptly fell into a coughing fit. He was actually surprised he made it this far. Normally he would've gone straight home and watched TV until everything died down and his breathing evened out. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option this time, and he'd be damned if he face-planted right in front of Ben. So when his chest constricted and his air capacity plummeted to around fifty percent, he pushed ahead, ignoring the burn of his lungs until they lost their tails and made it back to their motel._

_Ben crouched before him, ducking his head to meet Riley's eyes while his own widened in concern. "What am I supposed to do? Do you need me to get a doctor? I think we passed a clinic a few streets back." He jumped back up and made his way towards the door. "Just try to keep calm. I'll go get some help."_

_"Jeez, Ben. Chill! You're the only one who's freaking out!" Riley gasped, easing himself to the floor and pressing his back to the bed frame. He slowly drew his legs up until they almost touched his chest and brought his head down between his knees. "Just give me a minute."_

_He tried to regulate his breathing as he waited, listening for the sound of Ben retreating into the other room. He was used to handling these situations alone; he'd been doing it for years._

_In...out. In...out. In..._

_Eyes still closed, Riley frowned in confusion. Instead of heading for the door, Ben's footsteps did just the opposite, they came closer._   _Huh. Maybe he just wanted a closer look at the freak that was hyperventilating on the floor. He didn't peg Ben as the teasing type but, then again, he could say that about over half the kids that picked on him. He'd just ignore him. He'd leave sooner or later._

_In...out. In...out. In..._

_The bed gave a low creak and dipped slowly to his left. His already ragged and uneven gasps hitched in surprise. Couldn't this guy take a hint? He wanted to be left alone!_

_In...out. In...out. In..._

_Then his eyes shot open, breath catching in his throat. A hand suddenly clamped down over the back of his neck. It didn't hurt, it wasn't painful; definitely not what he was used to. The hand was solid, reassuring. Comforting. He closed his eyes again. It made him feel...safe. Almost as if in response, the hand_ _gave a gentle squeeze._

_In...out. In...out. In..._

 

* * *

 

_He wasn't sure how long they sat like that, but when Riley finally tried to lift his head, he found that his entire body was stiff as a board. Not very surprising. Neither was the fact that the weight of Ben's hand was gone. What did prove to be a shock was when he went to glance out the window to his right. The sky was dark. Their return flight was scheduled to leave at six-thirty. His face sombered. Had Ben left him? He probably got tired of waiting and hightailed it back to the states. Rubbing the back of his neck sadly, Riley rose painfully to his feet, swaying slightly. He just hoped Ben remembered to leave him his ticket. He'd figure out something._

_"You alright?"_

_Riley's head snapped up, startled. Ben watched him quietly from a chair in the corner of the room._

_Riley threw himself onto his back, landing spread-eagled on the mattress, and draped his arm over his eyes. His face burned. This was definitely not one of his better moments. He did take note of the tone of Ben's voice though. It had the usual gruffness, but at the same time, he sounded sincere. Frankly,_ _he was exhausted, completely drained. It was almost as if his body was made of jello, wobbly and unstable. His head_ _was spinning_ _, and he was quite convinced the room was, too. But he didn't want Ben to look down on him, to pity him. A small part of him was starting to like man. He hadn't had anyone treat him like this in, well, ever._ _So he lied. "I'm good."_

_"If you're sure," Ben shrugged. He got up and stretched before making his way towards the door. "I'm going to get some coffee. You want some?"_

_Riley shook his head. "No time. We're gonna miss our flight." He started to sit up and tried to hide a grimace. His back and legs were sore from sitting on the floor for so long._

_"Don't worry about it," Ben called over his shoulder as he left the room. "_ _You need to get some rest."_

_His last statement filled Riley with dread. He hated this feeling! Always being seen as someone that needed to be looked after or looked down on. A burden. No one said it out loud but, then again, they never really needed to. Ben was just like everyone else, after all. He hung his head, gaze fixed on his shoes. "I'm sorry," he whispered._

_Ben's head popped back into the doorway, his brow furrowed in confusion. "For what?"_

_Riley tensed. He hadn't meant for Ben to hear him._

_"Hey," The man's expression softened. "It's no big deal. I exchanged our tickets earlier. We aren't scheduled to leave until tomorrow afternoon. Okay?"_

_He nodded but Ben didn't move, just raised his eyebrows expectantly. Riley sighed. This guy just didn't know when to give up, did he? "Okay."_

_Finally satisfied, Ben's face broke into a smile before he disappeared into the other room._

_Riley looked up at the ceiling, taken aback. Maybe Ben wasn't such a bad guy after all._

 

* * *

 

_Ben sipped his coffee wordlessly as he leaned against the door frame. To say that this morning had scared the hell out of him would be an understatement, and he wasn't talking about their little run. It was what came after. He had never felt so useless. All he could do was watch helplessly as Riley practically suffocated in front of him. They were definitely going to talk about it later. He'd planned on bringing it up when he returned with his coffee only to find that Riley had already passed out fully clothed, shoes and all._

_He watched the steady rise and fall of the young man's chest. It was strange. He'd never felt this close to anyone before, especially someone he'd just met a few months ago. The kid seemed genuinely interested in his work. Not like Ian, who was only interested in his own personal gain. Whether he knew it or not, Riley had a craving for adventure. Something they had in common. If he could just get Riley to trust him, then maybe they could get somewhere._

_He raked a hand through his hair, exhaling deeply through his nose. He grabbed an extra sheet and gently pulled it over Riley. This kid was going to be a real handful._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Ben smiled fondly at the memory. That was the day that Riley actually started to let down his walls and let Ben help him. It was a critical point in their friendship. "We should set up camp. We won't make it to the ruins by nightfall. We could use the rest anyway," he stated, looking around for a place for them to settle for the night.

Riley was immediately back on his feet, face unreadable. "I'm fine."

Unfortunately, his voice wasn't as convincing. Though it was faint, Ben picked up a slight waver just before Riley turned and continued up the path. He sounded somewhat panicked. Almost frightened. Ben shook his head in confusion. What was he so nervous about? "What's your hurry? It's not like I'm just going to leave you behind."

Riley shoulders tensed before he glared over his shoulder. "I said I'm fine!" he snapped.

Jogging after him, Ben latched onto his shoulders and spun him around. "Riley, listen to me. The sun's going own. How well do you think we'll be able to navigate this place in the dark?"

Riley paused, taking a moment to weigh his options. He could either swallow his pride, admit Ben was right, and stop for the night, or get proven wrong later by ending up lost in the middle of the jungle deep in a foreign country. Dammit!

"Fine," he grumbled. "But if we get eaten by a giant spider or something in our sleep, it's on you."


	10. Chapter 10

After finding a good-sized patch of dirt along the riverbank to spend the night, Ben got the fire going while Riley assembled the tent. Normally, Riley would've been offended and demand that they switch, so when he just went along with it Ben couldn't help the confused look he gave him as the younger man shuffled away. They mostly worked in silence, with the exception of Riley's frustrated whispers every few minutes about how all the time he'd spent going to college had given him absolutely zero experience in tent construction. Even though he wasn't facing him, Ben had to swallow his laughter just picturing the scene unfolding behind him. He'd offered to help, but all he got in return was a look that had him turning back to his own task before he even got the question out. Once everything was set, they had just enough time to catch a few fish for dinner before the last beams of sunset slid behind the mountain range. Now the two explorers sat on opposite sides of the fire with the flames dancing between them, embers floating lightly upwards until they disappeared into the night sky.

"What do you mean you didn't pack s'mores? Who goes camping and forgets the s'mores?!" Riley exclaimed.

"We're not on a camping trip," Ben said distractedly, tossing a stick into the pit. His eyes glowed bright orange as he stared into the flames.

"Unbelievable," Riley huffed. "You are  _so_  lucky I'm here." Digging through his bag, he pulled out a bag of marshmallows, a box of gram crackers, and a stack of chocolate bars. No one could ever say that he wasn't prepared. Once everything was opened and prepped, Riley picked up a pair of sticks and expertly skewered two marshmallows. He held one out to Ben. "You'd better hurry. I may not look it, but I am not afraid to eat all the s'mores by myself," he boasted. But Ben didn't answer, his gaze still lost in the fire. Frowning, Riley lowering his arm. "Keep that up and you'll go blind."

Ben jumped in surprise. "What?"

"You haven't said a word since we stopped." Riley handed Ben his stick. By this time his own marshmallow was ready. Skipping the crackers and chocolate, he slid it off its stick and popped it into his mouth. "Don't sweat it. We'll find the ruins tomorrow." He tried to make himself sound reassuring, but in reality his mind drifted back to earlier when Ben insisted they stop. Was he regretting the decision to take Riley instead of Abigail? He was probably thinking that he would be exploring the site right now if he had.

"That's not what worries me," Ben sighed, reaching into his bag and pulling out the journal. Gently flipping through the pages, he didn't stop until he reached the very end. Layers of exposed paper poked out from the spine. "The last two pages are missing."

Riley rolled his eyes, turning back to the fire. He had a three stick rotation to attend to. "Is that all? Ben, they probably just needed something to fuel their fire."

He shook his head. "I don't think so. This was Isaac's most prized possession; it never left his side. I doubt he would willingly damage it like this." He pondered the matter for a little while longer before looking up at Riley. He studied him for a moment. Riley was his best friend and he could tell when there was something on his mind. He didn't know what it was exactly, but he figured it was time to rip off the band-aid. However, he knew all too well that Riley didn't like to be cornered and would shut down completely if he wasn't careful. "You know, eating all that is just going to make you sick," he warned as Riley swallowed his fifth s'more.

"Thank you, Mom," Riley sneered. "But I'm a big boy." He stuffed another chocolate oozing s'more into mouth just to prove his point.

Ben grinned as he started roasting his first marshmallow. Once it was ready he snatched some chocolate and graham crackers. He munched on his s'more absently as he looked up at the stars. After a moment, he cast a sly glanced at his friend. Might as well start digging. "So," he started. "Now that I've told you what's been on my mind, what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't take a genius to notice your head's been somewhere else. Anything you want to share?"

Averting his gaze, Riley drew lazy circles in the dirt between his shoes. "Not really."

"Obviously there is," Ben frowned. "You've been pretty distant lately. Normally I wouldn't complain about a few minutes of peace and quiet, but I'm starting to get worried."

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, you said that already," he sighed "Look, don't think I haven't noticed that you've been lagging behind..."

"Well, maybe I should have just stayed home!" he spat. "Kept out of the way? Would that have been better?"

"What? No!" Ben straightened, surprised by the sudden outburst. "I never said-"

Without another word, Riley got up, shoved his hands deep into his pockets, and started to wonder downstream. Ben was speechless.  _What's gotten into him?_

Finally coming to a stop, Riley climbed up onto a large rock that was jutting slightly over the water. Maybe he shouldn't have pushed? Ben rubbed at his temples in frustration. Well what was he supposed to do? Sit back and watch as the distance between them grew wider? Until he couldn't reach him anymore? A loud splash pulled him from his thoughts. A series of ripples were spreading from a point near the middle of the river. Riley hadn't moved an inch, knees still clutched to his chest as he stared out at the water. He'd been sitting like that for a while now. Alone. Kicking dirt over the flames to extinguish the fire, Ben strode after him.

Climbing up beside him, Ben stretched his legs in front of him as they sat in silence. With the steady sound of the current, it wasn't as tense as it had been; it was actually comfortable, pleasant even. After what seemed like hours, probably only a few minutes, it was finally broken.

"I'm sorry."

Ben blinked. He hadn't expected Riley to say anything for a while. Hell, he hadn't expected him to say anything at all.

"You should be busy snooping around an ancient village right now. Not babysitting me." His eyes never left the surface of the water. Not that they needed to. From where he was sitting, Ben could see the pain they held. "I'll pick up the pace."

"That's  _not_  what I meant." Ben was blown away by the amount of hurt in Riley's voice. "I didn't say anything about you slowing me down. It's just that you've been acting like you don't want to be here."

"Do  _you_  want me here?"

"Of course I do!"

"You sure about that?" Without waiting for an answer, Riley turned and hopped down, leaving Ben to stare into his reflection.

 

* * *

 

Riley gazed up at the ceiling. The tent wasn't huge by any means, but it wasn't exactly small either. There was more than enough room for the two friends to have their own space. So when he heard the flap being unzipped, Riley had no problem sticking to his side of the tent and feinting sleep. Apparently Ben didn't have a problem going along with it either, because he didn't say a word as he got settled and within minutes he was fast asleep.

_"What's your hurry? It's not like I'm just going to leave you behind."_

He closed his eyes. Honestly, when he heard Ben say that, he wasn't quite sure that he believed him.

And it was with that troubling thought that he drifted off.

_Riley's heart was in his throat as he watched Ben start to lose his grip on the swinging platform, legs dangling helplessly over the endless chasm below. Hanging over the edge, boards came lose as Ben scrambled to get a grip and pull himself up. Riley almost yelled at him to let go of The Declaration. It was just a stupid piece of paper! Thankfully his father passed down a rope. Grabbing hold of it, Ben swung himself to safety and hauled himself over the wooden railing next to Abigail._

_"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I dropped you. I had to save The Declaration..." Ben began._

_"No! Don't be," Abigail gasped. "I would have done the exact same thing to you."_

_Ben gave her a strange look. "...Really?"_

_"I would've dropped you both," Riley snorted as he made his way down a small flight of steps towards them. "Freaks."_

_Suddenly there was a resounding snap and the platform, along with his footing, disappeared. Giving a yelp of surprise, Riley reached out blindly. His hands just barely managed to latch onto the edge. Unable to stop himself, Riley spared a quick glance down. Big mistake. Panic consumed him as he looked down into the darkness._

_"This is just not my day is it?" Riley groaned as he pushed back his fears. He didn't have a good enough grip to drag himself up again on his own so he looked to Ben and Abigail expectantly, a snide remark ready in case either of them decided to comment. But they just continued their own conversation, giving no indication that they had even heard him._

_"Uh, guys?" he laughed nervously. "A little help here?"_

_That got a reaction. The pair finally turned his way and looked back down at him almost curiously, as if they'd never seen him before. Still, neither made a move to assist him. Abigail's gaze returned to Ben before she smiled, gave him a light kiss on the cheek, and headed back towards the others._

_Riley's heart sunk. "Ben?"_

_Ben studied him for a moment longer, his eyes blank and face empty. He was practically unrecognizable. Then he was turning away._

_"Ben! This isn't funny!" Riley winced as the wood started to dig into his palms and fingers. "BEN!"_

_Then someone was standing over him. Riley looked up with relief. He knew Ben wouldn't leave-. His smile faded as the person spoke. "Well, well. Looks like you've managed to get yourself into yet another predicament, haven't you Mr. Poole?" Masson's voice was like velvet as he peered down his nose at him and shook his head. "Too bad no one's here to save you this time." Scott's face twisted into a sneer as he brought his leather shoe down over Riley's fingers._

_The next thing Riley knew, he was falling. His screams bounced off the walls and echoed through the passages, seemingly unheard by his friends as they their torches faded into nothing._

Riley jerked awake, chest heaving and eyes wide. His heart hammered against his rib cage, blood roaring in his ears. The walls and ceiling were starting to close in. This wasn't good. He could feel his hands shaking and his lungs constricting as his body broke into a cold sweat. Beside him, he saw Ben begin to stir. He had to get out of there.

After fumbling with the zipper, Riley finally managed to squeeze through the opening. He scrambled blindly through the dirt until he came to a stop at the tree line and fell to his knees. There just wasn't enough air!

He crossed his arms over his chest as he desperately tried to draw in a full breath, but it was no use. Black spots had already begun to obscure his vision. He needed to rein in his emotions and get his breathing under control. Riley dug his fingers into the ground in an attempt to steady himself as his head started to spin. A shrill ringing filled his ears.

_Think of something else! I have to think of something else!_

Riley bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut in concentration, frantically searching for a happy memory.  _Any_  memory. The pride he'd felt the day he beat triple banana level on Pac-Man. The sense of accomplishment the first time he'd hacked into the FBI server undetected. The satisfaction he experienced that same day upon finding the addresses of every bully he had ever encountered and tinkering with their personal information. But nothing worked.

Every memory he could think of was tainted. In every scene there was a man standing in the background, out of place; a scorpion just visible over the collar of his shirt. Even as he pictured himself cruising down a beautiful stretch of road overlooking the beach in his Ferrari, he was there too, sitting right beside him in the passenger seat.

Everything stopped. Riley tensed as the dark clouds grew bigger and bigger.

He was out of time.

 

* * *

 

Drifting awake, Ben noted the eerie silence that surrounded him. He immediately became alert, eyes darted around the tent. Riley was gone. Normally, this wouldn't worry him too much; the kid probably just went for a walk to clear his head or something. But when he turned over to go back to sleep, he couldn't shake the unease that settled in his stomach. Grabbing a flashlight, Ben slipped out of the tent. It would be just his luck to find Riley stuck in a pit of quicksand somewhere. Luckily, he didn't have to go far to find him. Ben spotted Riley hunched over some ferns down the riverbank. Ben smiled. Figures.

"I told you eating all those s'mores was a bad idea," he teased. When Riley didn't answer he frowned, squatting down next to him. "Riley?"

Spinning around, Riley lost his balance and fell backward, scrambling out of his reach. "Stay back! Get away from me!" Ben's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Inching closer, his eyes squinting with concern, but the second his fingers made contact, Riley lashed out. His blows were desperate and sloppy, so Ben evaded them easily. It was then that he noticed something else. Not only were they sloppy, but they were also slow. Weak.

Springing forward, Riley launched himself forward in an attempt to tackle him to the ground, but Ben was faster. Ducking to the side, Ben winced as a rock dug into his palm. "Snap out of it, Riley! It's me!" Seemingly pulled from his daze, Riley froze. Taking the opportunity to move closer, Ben eyed him cautiously. "What's going on?" The only reply Riley gave him was a shrill wheeze, before he pitched forward. Ben automatically reached out to catch him before he hit the ground.

"Talk to me, kid." Gently tapping Riley on the cheek, Ben went through a laundry list of possibilities. The fish they ate from the river? No, or else he would be sick, too. It had been too long after they'd eaten for any kind of allergic reaction; at least he was pretty sure it had. Poisonous snake bite could be another possibility, but he didn't see a snake anywhere and he couldn't find any bite marks. Shining the light on Riley's face, Ben cursed softly. His lips were turning blue. Definitely not a good sign.

"Where's your inhaler?" he demanded. He had never seen Riley like this. When he didn't get a response, he gave him a gentle shake. "Riley!"

"Home," he gasped, voice fading.

" _What?!_ " He needed to think of something fast before it was too late.

Riley's eyes started to roll back into his head, his body going limp. Ben shook him urgently. "Hey! Stay with me." Ben reminded himself to stay calm. Now was not the time to lose his head. Giving the kid's shoulders a reassuring squeeze, Ben looked him in the eye. "I'll be right back."

The minute Ben left his field of vision Riley was thrown into a panic, his brain overflowing with questions. Where was he going? Was Ben abandoning him? The darkness was closing in. The roar of his heartbeat drowned out everything else. He didn't want to die in the middle of nowhere! He didn't want to die alone!

And then something was being held in front of him.

"Here."

It took a moment for his eyes to focus long enough to see what it was. An inhaler. Huh. Riley looked up at Ben in confusion.

He shrugged. "I always keep a spare."

Holding him close to his chest, Ben helped Riley through the process. After a few hits Ben's worry escalated; Riley's breathing was still raspy and erratic. Then it dawned on him.  _He's having a panic attack._  Ben quickly turned him around and locked eyes with Riley, putting every ounce of support and confidence he could into his gaze. He wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do, but he  _did_  know that he needed to get Riley to calm down. "Riley, I need you to look at me." He took the kid's hand and moved it up over his heart while resting his own over Riley's. "You need to breathe. I'm right here with you. Just concentrate on my breathing and copy it. Breathe in. Breathe out," Ben encouraged. He continued the mantra for several minutes, never breaking eye contact.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Riley managed to take a series of steady, deep breaths. Relief washed over him in waves. "Good job, kid." Riley was exhausted and his eyelids started to droop. Ben helped him to his feet, taking on most of his weight. "Come on. Let's get you inside."

 

* * *

 

While Riley and Ben settled into sleep, a figure observed from just up the ridge. Hidden behind a thick layer of brush, the man wore a pair of night vision goggles, his rifle sitting off to the side. He had been tailing the two of them for days, being sure to keep a safe distance away. He sat many rows behind them on the plane and stayed in a motel room in a building across the way with a perfect view of their own, never letting the pair out of his sight. The quiet was broken abruptly by the crackle of static.

_"Report. How goes the hunt?"_

The figure pushed his goggles up to his forehead and picked up the walkie-talkie. "Uneventful," came the gruff reply. He picked up his rifle, glaring down the barrel in annoyance. "Are you sure you haven't overestimated these two? What if they don't find it?" His fingers glided eagerly over the trigger as he cocked his weapon and took aim. "I say we take care of them while we have the chance."

_"All in due time. Just stay on them for now. Contact me if there are any developments; I'll give you further instructions."_

Putting the safety back on, he lowered the riffle, clicking his tongue in disappointment. "Roger that, Mr. Scott."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment/review!


	11. Chapter 11

Riley stirred, listening to the soft bubble of the river. For the first time in weeks, his body didn't feel exhausted or weighed down. His eyelids fluttered. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this refreshed! Unfortunately, his moment of bliss didn't last more than half a second before his eyes snapped shut again. A confused groan escaped his lips as he was blinded by the intense sunlight beating down on the other side of the tent's fabric. Cracking his eyes tentatively, Riley slowly let his surroundings come into focus. It was already light out, well past sunrise by the looks of it. It was a pleasant surprise, waking up on his own. Definitely not something he was accustomed to when he was hanging around Ben. Riley scanned the tent, only now realizing that it was empty. Where _was_ Ben? It wasn't that he was particularly concerned by his absence; Ben was an early riser. The fact that he'd let Riley sleep in was strange though. Most nights Ben would be pestering him with new information at all hours, constantly keeping him up to date when all he really needed was a nap and a quick update in the morning.

Sitting up, Riley winced, the persistent throb of a fading headache lingering in his temples. Raising a hand in hopes of somehow soothing the ache, he noticed that his palm was smeared with dirt and mud. _What the...?_ He sucked in a sharp breath as his memory came flooding back. Every last excruciating detail from the night before was restored in an instant. He pressed his palms deep into his eye sockets. Great. Not only had he managed to let loose a storm of misplaced frustrations, he'd freaked out and made himself look like an even bigger idiot. Scrambling to his feet, Riley quickly changed into a fresh pair of pants and a clean shirt before exiting the tent to salvage what little dignity he had left.

Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to gather his thoughts; he found Ben sitting against the trunk of a tree just off to the side munching on a protein bar. He was so immersed in the map spread out in front of him, he'd probably been sitting there for hours without even realizing it. The fire was put out and everything but the tent was just about packed. He was all ready to go, had been for awhile if the small pile of empty wrappers was any indication. _But he still let me sleep..._

Ben looked up as Riley approached, taking in his friend's somewhat disheveled appearance. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap."

Ben grunted and started to fold up the papers. "There was a good amount of rainfall south of here the other night. A majority of the paths we were going to take are probably flooded out and the ones that aren't are most likely unstable and prone to landslides. It took a while, but I've found a way around everything. It'll put us anywhere from one to two and a half hours behind schedule, so we should probably get moving."

Nodding in agreement, Riley anxiously shifted from one foot to the other. It was now or never. "Look, about last night..." Riley scratched the back of his head, embarrassment forcing his gaze to the dirt. "Uh, thanks," he finished lamely. He wasn't very good with prepared speeches, he was more of an 'in the moment' kind of guy, and that was the best he could come up with.

"Don't mention it." There was a long, awkward pause as Ben looked up into the trees, and for a moment it seemed that he was just going to leave it to that. Then he turned to face him with a long sigh. "You know, you can talk to me if something's bothering you." Riley started to argue but Ben cut him off by throwing his hands up defensively. "I'm just saying. I'm always here if you need me." He desperately searched Riley's face as he tried to bridge the gap that had somehow grown between them, willing him to understand.

For awhile it was silent and Ben's shoulders sagged. Finally Riley whispered, "Yeah, I know."

And Ben believed him.

 

* * *

 

"You have _got_ to be kidding."

Riley looked up the raging current as water came crashing down the cliff face in front of them. A waterfall. "You're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking." Why couldn't the village be hidden somewhere normal, like in a valley or a clearing? Was that too much to ask?

"The entrance is supposed to be behind it somewhere..." Ben trailed off, disappearing behind the curtain of water in blatant disregard of Riley's protests. Giving the screen of water one last calculating look, Riley eyed it critically before he followed. He definitely didn't like where this was going.

Ben craned his neck as he scanned the rock face. After a few seconds his hand shot out, pointing somewhere halfway up. "There!"

Riley followed his line of sight. At first glance, he couldn't see anything but rock. However, upon closer inspection he noticed a slight abnormality, a portion jutting out further than the rest of the wall. It was also an easy fifty feet off the ground, and there was no way-

"The path leading up to it must have eroded decades ago," Ben offered, nodding towards a thin, snake-like line of rock not even a foot wide; in some areas it disappeared altogether!

"Kind of anticlimactic, but oh well," Riley shrugged. "Last time I checked, we didn't pack any form of mountain climbing equipment, so..."

"We'll just have to do it the old-fashioned way," Ben finished. At first Riley thought that he had misheard him, a very real possibility considering the intense crashing of water behind them, but Ben was already staring up the cliff, gauging how high up they would have to climb and formulating their plan of attack. Catching the look on Riley's face, he spread his arms out wide, gesturing all around him. "It's perfectly safe."

"Perfectly-? Are you out of your _mind_?! In what universe does any part of this translate to 'perfectly safe'?" But the moment he looked into Ben's eyes, Riley knew he had already lost the argument. There was not a speck of fear, not a flicker of doubt in their depths. Ben had complete and utter confidence in their ability to get the job done. A thought process that lacked any form of logic and was completely irrational, and yet Riley chose to follow him all the same.

"Okay, so maybe it's not _perfectly_ safe," Ben yeilded. "But it's the only way up there." Slipping both the journal and a small flashlight into his jacket pocket, Ben left the rest of his gear behind as he gripped two handholds and began his ascent. Riley, safely at ground level, watched him anxiously with the knowledge that he would in no way be able to catch him if he fell. Ben wasn't more than a few meters up before he called back down, "Unless you aren't up for it!"

Riley knew he was baiting him, and while the very thought of how high he would have to climb made his stomach churn, the jab still lit a fire deep inside of him and before he knew it, he'd taken the bait. Ignoring everything the rational part of his brain was screaming at him, Riley snatched up his own flashlight and scrambled right up after him; a decision he came to regret not even five minutes into their ascent.

The roar of the water was deafening and the mist was already starting to plaster his hair to his head. It was a good thing he was wearing his contacts, or he wouldn't be able to see a thing. Not only that, it also made the cool surface of the wall slick. Every time he reached up for the next handhold, he felt his foot sliding across the surface. At one point his foot slipped from the tight niche it was wedged in completely. If not for the steady grip his hands had already established, he would have been splattered at the bottom of the cliff.

Riley sent a nervous glance back down and tensed, feeling the knots in his stomach tighten. "Uh, Ben? Remember when I told you that I wasn't afraid of heights?" His head started to spin.

"Hey, I'm right here with you." Ben was a few meters ahead and had almost reached the lip if the entrance. Pausing momentarily, he bent his head down and cast a reassuring smile in Riley's direction. "You're not going to fall with me around."

"That's all well and good, but considering the fact that you're _above_ me, I fail to see how you would be of any help."

"You worry too much," Ben grunted as he hauled himself up. After brushing himself off, he waited patiently for Riley to catch up.

It seemed like an eternity, but after proceeding at a snail's pace to insure his survival, Riley finally managed to reach the mouth of the cave.

"Let's go." Turning on his flashlight, Ben started down the tunnel.

"Yeah, I'm right behi-" Before he could finish, the rock beneath his foot crumbled. Losing his balance, Riley's arms pin wheeled as he stumbled backwards. His head swam as the last images from his nightmare flashed through his mind. Clinging to the weak and rotting wood. Holding on for dear life as his friends deserted him, leaving him to plummet into the darkness.

He was jarred back to reality by the feeling of a hand clamping down firmly around his wrist. The next thing Riley knew, he was being pulled sharply back over the edge. Slamming into Ben's chest, they were both knocked off their feet and landed in a heap of tangled limbs, not moving for a several seconds.

Finally Ben looked at him. "See? Perfectly safe."


End file.
